62% of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population that participates in digital activities away from home or work

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1 Data Memo BY: Associate Director John Horrigan ( ) RE: MOBILE ACCESS TO DATA AND INFORMATION March % of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population that participates in digital activities away from home or work According to the Pew Internet Project s December 2007 survey: 58% of adult Americans have used a cell phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) to do at least one of ten mobile non-voice data activities, such as texting, ing, taking a picture, looking for maps or directions, or recording video. 41% of adult Americans have logged onto the internet on the go, that is, away from home or work either with a wireless laptop connection or a handheld device. This comes to 62% of all Americans who have some experience with mobile access to digital data and tools. That is, they have either used a cell phone or PDA for a non-voice data application or logged on to the internet away from home or work using a wireless laptop connection or with a handheld device. The Pew Internet Project s December 2007 survey interviewed a sample of 2,054 adult Americans, which included 500 respondents contacted on their cell phones. Accompanying this changing nature of access no longer slow and stationary, but now fast and mobile has been a transformation in how people value their media access tools. When asked how hard it would be to give up a specific technology, respondents are now most likely to say the cell phone would be most difficult to do without, followed by the internet, TV, and landline telephone. This represents a sharp reversal in how people viewed these technologies in Those who say it would be very hard to give up (among those who use each device) Cell phone 38% 43% 51% Internet Television Landline telephone Blackberry or wireless device Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys. 1

2 Leading the way in this world of untethered access are young adult Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. A majority of adults under age 30 and Hispanics would find it hardest to do without their cell phones and are much more likely to say it would be hard to be without a cell phone than to be without the internet or . Hispanics in the United States are a more youthful group than whites or African Americans, but Latinos attachment to the cell phone stands out even after controlling for age and other demographic and socio-economic factors. Non-voice data access using handheld devices Here s how the data breaks out for each of the ten activities asked about relating to nonvoice data applications on a cell phone or PDA. Mobile data and communications activities (among those who have a cell phone or personal data assistant) % of cell/pda users who have ever done this % of cell/pda who do this on typical day Send or receive text messages 58% 31% Take a picture Play a game 27 8 Send or receive Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information 19 7 Record a video 18 3 Play music 17 7 Send or receive instant messages 17 6 Get a map or directions to another location 14 3 Watch video 10 3 Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007, n =1,704 for those with cell phones or PDAs.. Margin of error is +/- 3 points. Among the 75% of Americans with either a cell phone or a PDA: 77% have ever done at least one of the ten listed handheld activities. 42% on a typical day did at least one of the ten listed handheld activities. This comes to 58% of all Americans who have ever done one of the ten activities, with 32% of all Americans doing at least one of them on a typical day. Defining access on the go For internet access on the go, online users were asked how often they use the internet someplace other than home or work. Some 29% of internet users say they do this at least every few weeks, with 21% doing this at least a couple days a week. We also asked remaining online users whether they had, in the previous twelve months, gone online away from home or work. Specifically, this question was directed to those who said they had infrequently used the internet away from home or work (22% of internet users) or had not done this (49% of online users). 2

3 Combining these two ways of asking about away from home or work online use, we find that nearly two-thirds (64%) of internet users have gone online away from home or work, which could include wired access at libraries or in hotel rooms. Focusing more narrowly on wireless access on the go, respondents were asked whether they had used a wireless internet connection on a laptop computer, a cell phone, or a PDA. 1 Adding up those who had said yes to any of those questions yielded the result that 52% of internet users have used a wireless connection at one time to go online away from home or work. This translates into 41% of all Americans who have logged on wirelessly away from home. Hispanics and young adults lead the way with handheld devices Demographically, the clearest dividing lines for the different handheld activities are age and race. For English-speaking Hispanics, the cell phone is an oft-used and multifaceted device more so than is the case for white or black Americans. 2 Mobile data and communications activities: by race (Those who have a cell phone or personal data assistant who have ever done one of listed activities) White Black Hispanic Send or receive text messages 53% 68% 73% Take a picture Play a game Send or receive Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information Record a video Play music Send or receive instant messages Get a map or directions to another location Watch video Percent who have done at least one of these activities 73% 79% 90% Median number of activities ever done Number of cases 1, Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007, n=1,704 for those with cell phones or PDAs. Margin of error is +/- 3 points. Survey conducted in English. As to access to cell phone technology: 1 The structure of the questions was such that respondents who said they had gone online away from home or work in the prior year were not asked specifically whether they used a cell phone or PDA away from home or work to access the internet. However, they were asked whether they had ever used a cell phone or PDA for several internet applications (sending , instant messages, getting maps or directions, or accessing the internet for news). Those who answered yes to those questions are included in the figure above, on the assumption that yes respondents had at one time done these handheld access activities away from home or work. 2 This survey was conducted in English. When a Spanish option is provided in survey administration, Spanish-dominant Latinos are found to be less likely to own a cell phone or use the internet. See Latinos Online, Pew Research Center, available online at: 3

4 84% of English-speaking Hispanics have cell phones. 74% of white Americans have cell phones. 71% of black Americans have cell phones. On a typical day, more than half of English-speaking Hispanics do something on their cell phone that might involve sending or receiving data. Mobile data and communications activities: by race (Those who have a cell phone or personal data assistant who have done one of listed activities on a typical day) White Black Hispanic Send or receive text messages Take a picture Play a game Send or receive Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information Record a video Play music Send or receive instant messages Get a map or directions to another location Watch video Percent who have done at least one of these activities 38% 50% 56% Median number of activities ever done Number of cases 1, Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007, n =1,704 for those with cell phones or PDAs. Margin of error is +/- 3 points. Survey conducted in English. There are also differences across age groups in the use of handhelds for data applications. Mobile data and communications activities: by Age (Those who have a cell phone or personal data assistant who have ever done one of listed activities) Send or receive text messages Take a picture Play a game Send or receive Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information Record a video Play music Send or receive instant messages Get a map or directions to another location Watch video Percent who have done at least one of these activities 96% 85% 63% 36% Median number of activities ever done Number of cases

5 Roughly the same share of under age 30 adults (60%) on the average day use a handheld device for text messaging as sends or receives (62% do). These numbers suggest that, while alternative forms of digital chatter (e.g., texting) are important to young adults, remains a part of their daily electronic communication activities, although it may be less central for young adults as other applications compete for their attention. For English-speaking Hispanics, 42% text message on the average day, compared to 56% who check . For black Americans, 34% send or receive a text message on the typical day, while 57% say they send or receive . Mobile data and communications activities: by Age (Those who have a cell phone or personal data assistant who have done one of listed activities on a typical day) Send or receive text messages Take a picture Play a game Send or receive Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information Record a video ** Play music * Send or receive instant messages Get a map or directions to another location Watch video Percent who have done at least one of these activities 73% 57% 23% 9% Median number of activities done on typical day Number of cases Hispanics and young adults also lead the way for on the go away from home or work. Similar differences by age and race are evident for wireless access away from home or work using a laptop computer. Against the average of 52% of internet users who have used a laptop or handheld to connect to the internet wirelessly away from home or work: 65% of English-speaking Hispanic internet users have done this. 54% of African American internet users have done this. 49% of white internet users have done this. Looking at different age groups, among internet users: 70% of online users between the ages of 18 and 29 have logged on wirelessly away from home or work using a laptop computer. 53% of online users between ages 30 and 49 have logged on wirelessly away from home or work using a laptop computer. 5

6 39% of online users between ages 50 and 64 have logged on wirelessly away from home or work using a laptop computer. 29% of online users over age 65 or older have logged on wirelessly away from home or work using a laptop computer. Most Hispanics and young adults say cell phones would be very hard to give up. With handheld access or laptop access on the go routine for so many people and especially young adults and Hispanics it is not a surprise that they are likely to say it would be very hard to give up their cell phones or internet access. In fact, more than half (54%) of Hispanics said they would find it very hard to give up their cell phones a higher share than said it would be very hard to give up the internet. Half (51%) of African Americans say it would be very hard to give up their cell phones, a significant difference from the share who say this about the internet (37%). Those who say it would be very hard to give up (among those who use technology) White Black Hispanic Cell phone Internet Television Landline telephone Number of cases 1, Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007, n =1,704 for those with cell phones or PDAs. Margin of error is +/- 3 points. For young adults, close to two-thirds (62%) say it would be very hard to do without a cell phone, more than the half (51%) who say that about the internet and more than twice the share that feels this way about the plain old landline telephone. Those who say it would be very hard to give up (among those who use technology) Cell phone Internet Television Landline telephone Number of cases Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007, n =1,704 for those with cell phones or PDAs. Margin of error is +/- 3 points 6

7 For the most part, untethered access is not a substitute for online access at home The vast majority of people who have accessed digital data or tools on the go are internet users. Among this group, fully 91% count themselves as internet users. Among the remaining 9%, this group demographically tilts toward African American men in their 40 s with low incomes. Within this group, 24% have household incomes that of $25,000 annually or less, 25% are African American, and more than half are men. All have cell phones, and members of this group are more likely to have cell phones only as their means of telephone access than the general population (by a 30% to 21% margin). 3 3 Although the number of respondents in the category of those who do not count themselves as online users but have used mobile connections to digital tools or information is small (n=113), the numbers reported above are significantly different from figures for all respondents who have either a cell phone or internet access. 7

8 Demographics of Different Groups of Wireless Users Total untethered users On the go access Mobile access with handheld device (those who have ever done at least one of ten activities) Mobile access with handheld device (those who, on typical day, do at least one of ten activities) Those who are either internet OR cell phone users Gender Male 50% 53% 50% 49% 49 Female Parental status Parent of child under Age Median age Race White (not Hispanic) Black (not Hispanic) Hispanic (English speaking) Other Education Less than high school High school grad Some college College Income Under $20K $20K-40K $40K-$50K $50K-$75K $75K-$100K Over $100K Don t know/refused Region Urban Suburban Rural Communications Technology Broadband at home Landline Only 3 4 * * 13 Landline & Cell phone Cell Phone Only Number of cases 1, , ,848 Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, December 2007 of 2,054 adult Americans. 8

9 Annual Gadgets Survey 2007 Data for October 24 December 2, 2007 Princeton Survey Research Associates International for the Pew Internet & American Life Project Final Topline Sample: n = 2,054 adults 18 and older, including 500 cell phone users Interviewing dates: Margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points for results based on total sample [n=2,054] Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on internet users [n=1,572] Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on landline and form 1 cell sample [n=1,804] Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on landline and form 2 cell sample [n=1,804] Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on landline only [n=1,554] Q10a When you accessed the internet from someplace other than from home or from work, did you do that [INSERT ITEM]? Based on those who used the internet from someplace other than home or work [N=421] yes No Don t know/ Refused Using a laptop computer through a WIRELESS connection Using a laptop computer through a WIRED connection Using a DESKTOP computer through a wired connection * Using a cell phone Using a Blackberry, Palm or other handheld device with a wireless connection * Q10b In the past 12 months, have you EVER accessed the internet from someplace other than from home or from work [INSERT ITEM]? Based on those who did not use the internet from someplace other than home or work [N=1,151] YES NO DON T KNOW/ REFUSED Using a laptop computer through a WIRELESS connection * Using a laptop computer through a WIRED connection * Using a DESKTOP computer through a wired connection

10 Q15 Please tell me if you ever use your cell phone (or Blackberry or other device) to do any of the following things. Do you ever use it to (INSERT ITEM)?/Did you happen to do this YESTERDAY, or not? Based on those who own a cell phone or Blackberry [N=1,704] Total who have ever done this Total who did this yesterday have not done this don t know/ refused Send or receive Send or receive text messages Take a picture * Play music * Send or receive Instant Messages * Record a video Watch video Play a game Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information Get a map or directions to another location * 10

11 Methodology Summary The Annual Gadgets Survey, sponsored by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, obtained telephone interviews both landline and cell phone - with a nationally representative sample of 2,054 adults living in the continental United States. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research International. The interviews were conducted in English by Princeton Data Source, LLC from October 24 to December 2, Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is ±2.4%. Details on the design, execution and analysis of the survey are discussed below. Design and Data Collection Procedures Sample Design A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. Both samples were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC (SSI) according to PSRAI specifications. Random phone numbers for the landline sample were generated from active blocks (area code + exchange + two-digit block number) that contained three or more residential directory listings. Active blocks were chosen with probabilities in proportion to their share of listed telephone households. The cellular sample was not list-assisted, but was drawn through a systematic sampling from 1000-blocks dedicated to cellular service according to the Telcordia database. 11

12 Contact Procedures Interviews were conducted from October 24 to December 2, As many as 10 attempts were made to contact every sampled telephone number. Sample was released for interviewing in replicates, which are representative subsamples of the larger sample. Using replicates to control the release of sample ensures that complete call procedures are followed for the entire sample. Calls were staggered over times of day and days of the week to maximize the chance of making contact with potential respondents. Each household received at least one daytime call in an attempt to find someone at home. For the landline sample, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult male currently at home. If no male was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest female at home. This systematic respondent selection technique has been shown to produce samples that closely mirror the population in terms of age and gender. For the cellular sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. Interviewers verified that the person was an adult and in a safe place before administering the survey. If this person was not an adult, they were screened out as ineligible. Cellular sample respondents were offered a post-paid cash incentive for their participation. Weighting and analysis Weighting is generally used in survey analysis to compensate for sample designs and patterns of non-response that might bias results. A two-stage weighting procedure was used to weight this dual-frame sample. A first-stage weight of 0.5 was applied to all dualusers to account for the fact that they were included in both sample frames. 4 All other cases were given a first-stage weight of 1.0. The second stage of weighting balanced sample demographics to population parameters. The sample was balanced to match national population parameters for sex, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, region (U.S. Census definitions), population density, and telephone usage. The White, non-hispanic subgroup was also balanced on age, education and region. The basic weighting parameters came from a special analysis of the Census Bureau s 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) that included all households in the continental United States that had a telephone. The cell phone usage parameter came from an analysis of the July-December 2006 National Health Interview Survey. Weighting was accomplished using Sample Balancing, a special iterative sample weighting program that simultaneously balances the distributions of all variables using a statistical technique called the Deming Algorithm. Weights were trimmed to prevent individual interviews from having too much influence on the final results. The use of these weights in statistical analysis ensures that the demographic characteristics of the sample closely approximate the demographic characteristics of the national population. 4 Dual-users are defined as [a] landline respondents who have a working cell phone, or [b] cell phone respondents who have a regular land line phone where they currently live. 12